Grand Hotel on TCM right now.

Have never seen it before. Have so many wonderful things about it, and ave been totally giddy with anticipation all day waiting to see this (yes, MARY!). Do Crawford and Garbo share any scenes? Did they get along off camera? Did Joan fuck Wallace Beery or one of the Barrymores? There's so much I want to know about the behind the scenes action of this feature. So far, even though nothing much has happened, I'm finding the directing and performances quite compelling. Garbo is ridiculously mesmerising, if that makes any sense.

• I love the kaleidoscopesque shot of the lobby floor from floors above.

  Sets%20The%20Stage

• It's a great film. So far, it's the only film to only win Best Picture and that's it. ARGO could very well be the next, but ARGO was nominated for 7 Oscars. GRAND HOTEL only had that one nomination, which it won.

• You want me to hit....YOU!

  JC

• Did they give art direction awards back then because the art direction and set design are breathtaking.

• In my past life, I was a set designer.

• I prefered the JC character over the GG character in this. Movie was good though.

• It's been years since I've seen it but I love that movie. Wasn't Crawford gorgeous when she was young?

  Bette

• Yeah, R4, the winner was TRANSATLANTIC, and the other two nominees were ARROWSMITH and some French film À NOUS LA LIBERTÉ.

• I love the Pauline Kael review of Crawford's performance: [quote]As a secretary working in the hotel, there is a startlingly sexy minx named Joan Crawford, who bears only a slight resemblance to the later zombie of that name; at about 26 also, she still connected with other actors, and her scenes with Lionel Barrymore (in one of his rare likable performances: he's a dying man spending his life savings on a last fling) show a real rapport.

• GG is over-the-top

• I watched it in great anticipation for the first time when it was on TCM a couple of months ago. I think I even started a thread on it then. I was pretty disappointed. After a roaring good opening with those amazing circular camera shots, the story just bogs down and never picks up. Garbo is indeed at first mesmerizing but becomes ponderous and even ridiculous in her whining and wailing. Joan, in comparison, feels remarkably modern and sexy, even now. I'd also just recently seen Dinner at Eight on TCM for the first time. Now, that one still holds up! And Beery and the two Barrymore brothers, who are all in both films, are so much better in Dinner at Eight.

• It was one of the first big MGM films with an "all star cast." They had done "Revues" before but this had a story. Crawford held her own with some of the greatest actors of the day. She is wonderful in this.

• [quote]I'm finding the directing and performances quite compelling. Yet, you're on DL posting about it.

• I absolutely agree with R6 & R7!!!! Yes I always thought that the Crawford character was much more entertaining and interesting than the Garbo character. And YES Crawford was achingly beautiful then, perfection.

• The young Joan Crawford was utterly in awe of Garbo and was devastated that she didn't get to play a single scene with her idol. Apparently, she spent many hours hiding out on the set behind the scenes watching Garbo emote. If only Joan knew how much better and how timeless and enduring her performance is compared to Garbo and all her silly mannerisms!

• Agreed, Joan is terrific. Garbo at first was mesmerizing, but she's now working my last nerve with her emoting.

• Joan Crawford walked away with this film. Her performance is still very modern, and she was gorgeous when she was young.

  http://www.joancrawfordbest.com/32beery12jan1.htm

• Oh yeah. So now you all love me!!

  The Ghost of Joan Crawford

• Gotta give Joan credit- she had already been in films about 10 years at this point (including silents),and she'd go on making movies for another 38 years. Amazing.

  Carol%20Ann

• To be fair to Garbo, her character was supposed to be over-the-top.

• "Mommie Dearest" is on Sundance.

• There's a liquor store at the corner, r21.

  Carol Ann

• R21 Trust you to know where to find the booze and the boys!